I bought my dream home for £480k 6 years ago but the estate is a mess with trip hazards and dead trees – they won’t help

A HOMEOWNER is furious that his £480,000 newbuild sits on a messy estate with trip hazards and dead trees. 

Iain Best, 45, accused housebuilder St Mowden of repeatedly breaking its promises to fix things since he moved in six years ago.

Roads also remain unfinished with massive potholes which residents say have damaged cars on the 350-house Cofton Grange development in Worcestershire. 

Programme manager Iain told The Sun:  "The landscaping around the show home is amazing - there are nice plants and they take real care of the grounds.

"But if you look elsewhere it's a mess. Near our home they've installed grass on top of concrete, so it's died.

"There's fencing missing and there are pavements not completed, which is a safety risk.

"The estate is full of trip hazards which they still haven't fixed.

"They have sold the houses and haven't completed the job - so it feels like they've just moved on. They don't care any more."

NHS worker Ruth Spencer, 43, says she has struggled for answers from St Modwen since moving into her £350,000 home more than three years ago.

She said: "They are supposed to be a five-star housebuilder but the infrastructure and customer service is one-star.

"There are dead trees that I've begged with them to replace but they still haven't. If they give me £25 I'll go to a garden centre and do it myself.

"I accept that when you move into a new-build estate it will be a bit like a building site. But some people have lived here for six years now and it's still a mess.”

Signs at Cofton Grange - built as part of a £1billion regeneration of the area - tells contractors to "take pride in your work", adding: "Top quality is what our customers deserve - we provide it".

Despite the litany of problems, fed-up residents must pay annual estate management charges to a private maintenance company. One described the £174 fee as a "fleecehold". 

Lorry driver Craig Hadley, 42, told how his father-in-law's suspension was damaged when his car hit a hump on a trip to the estate. 

He said: "St Modwen paid out but there are still potholes and exposed drains everywhere.

"My wife is a health and safety officer. She hates it - she's so worried about the kids tripping up.

"Everyone has had enough. We just want them to sort it out."

A spokesperson for St. Modwen Homes, said: “We have one of the highest track records in delivering for our customers, and if any issues are raised they are always taken seriously. 

“We have recently changed our approach to wider infrastructure on our developments which means that rather than waiting for local councils to adopt public areas, completed roads and other external features are delivered as soon as possible on every scheme. 

“At Cofton Grange this has already started and will be completed within a 16-week period ahead of Local Authority adoption.”